In an information processing apparatus, typically, whether a user is manipulating the apparatus is determined and operating frequency of the CPU is changed automatically. If performance information to be used for the operation of the an application is already identified, operating frequency of the CPU for the operation of the application without any trouble is calculated and the calculated value is applied to the operating frequency of the CPU. With the thus calculated value, the operating frequency of the CPU does not have to be set too high. Therefore, it is possible to reduce power consumption of the information processing apparatus. In the OS often employed by portable terminals such as smartphones, operating frequency of the CPU is changed in accordance with the rate of utilization of the CPU. In this system, the maximum count ability that the application uses is provided to the CPU.
In smartphones, however, there are situations in which real-time performance is important even when the user is not manipulating the smartphone. For example, a user may connect a headset to the smartphone for the music reproduction, telephone call on the VoIP, reproduction of audio content by streaming and so forth, and places the main body of the smartphone in, for example, a bag. Therefore, it is desirable to detect that an operation for which a response is important is operating on the smartphone although the user is not manipulating the terminal, and to switch control or release of operating frequency of the CPU.
A user of a smartphone may install applications downloaded from an online market. Performance information of the application or type information of the application used to determine whether that application calls for real-time performance are not included in packages of these applications.
Therefore, it is desirable for the achievement of real-time performance even when a user is not manipulating the smartphone, to add, to all the applications, a field in which information for controlling or releasing operating frequency of the CPU is described or to describe type information of the application installed by the user in, for example, a configuration file.
However, since change in a format of an application package or a registering operation by a user is not easily performed, type information of the application has to be estimated only from information included in the current application package.
Japanese Laid-open Patent Publication No. 08-76874 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2005-285093 are examples of the related art.